A while back, I bought some gauges on eBay, but I just got them installed.

They are ACAutoTechnic gauges, the S7 "race" series, which are generally pretty "ricer" I suppose, but I like them -- even though they don't match my dash gauges.

They're "reverse" glow, and here's what they look like -- if these link

Oil pressure (using for engine oil):


Oil temperature (using for tranny temp):


I got a dual gauge pod from Charles at WholesaleMN.com and painted it the same color as my overhead console with VHT SP979 Ford Light Gray plastic paint. The first two photos below show the gauges on the a-pillar. I used the light gray because it made the brushed aluminum bezels and light faces less "contrasting" and blended them in a bit to the interior.

I would have bought black gauges -- but I got BOTH of these, never installed, with sensors, for $42 shipped. Hard to pass up.

The third picture shows a neat way to install the sensor. It shows the drivers side, just behind the shift linkage. There is a 1/8" NPT plug there that seals the hole where you can test the main pump pressure. The sensor is 1/8" NPT and you simply replace the plug with the sensor. Couldn't be easier!

I haven't put in the oil pressure transducer yet as it is a bigger pain in the butt. I'll do it this weekend.

 

Looks good. I loved the way mine lit up. Thank goodness the ones in my stang are actually functional.

 

lol! That's good. You don't have the famous Ford non-pressure gauge for the oil, eh?

Since I do 1 year oil changes, a pressure gauge seems a good idea -- and for offroading. The tranny temp gauge is more for offroading than anything else. I'm using Amsoil synthetic transmission fluid which has a wider temperature range -- but if the tranny gets too hot you cook the o-rings and seals and that's no fun!

I'm waiting for the oil analysis of my last 1 year oil change. I went a month or 2 and a few thousand miles more than last year, and I've been offroading a lot harder this year.

 

looks good i really like thouse gauges!

 

nice... i have been thinking about something like this for a while since im also on a 1 year oil change dealy... thats a lot of mud on your tranny there mr. griggs

 

Thanks, guys!

Everything I touched down there rained "mud dust" down on me early this morning when I did the sensor (I painted the gauge pod and mounted/wired the gauges last night).

Not sure how I'm going to fit the t-fitting on for the oil line. The sensor is BEHIND the passenger side head, on the block, and there is precious little room back there.

I might use a flex line with 1/8" NPT fittings and fasten the t-to the firewall higher up.

 

Lookin good!

Soo.... you wanna do a write up on the oil gauge?

 

looks good, i like it




thats what im going to do to mine when i get around to it. ive had my guages since march and none of them work yet. ive been lazy

 

lol! I know that feeling.

I may write the oil gauge up after I do it for the benefit of the 3.0 owners. Let me see what I end up doing first, lol.

 

its soo purty im gonna have a sheizure

 

Sarcasm noted! But I like it, lol.

 

I know you didn't plan this, but the mud makes it very easy to tell where the wire goes. It's the only thing clean in the entire picture.
John Griggs: Inventor of the "Illustrating with mud" mod.

 

Well, I photoshopped in all the mud for that very purpose! ...(yeah, right...)

 

Riiiiight..

 

that would be awesome cause us 3.0 guys would really like to see the dope on it

 

Well, I got the oil pressure sender in. I worked on it by turning my wheels all the way to the left, and sitting between the wheel and the frame, lol. My mud covers between the wheel and the engine are off (the lower, smaller ones, not the inside of the fender) so I had access that way. I'll photograph everything later.

Interestingly, the oil pressure switch has a 1/4" NPT fitting, not a 1/8" fitting. Fortunately, I anticipated the possibility and brought home an adaptor to mount the t-fitting and short pipe section to it.. I'll talk about that when I do the how-to write up.

Basically, there is the adaptor, a 2" piece of 1/8" NPT pipe (which is like 3/8" outside diameter), then a 3-way 1/8" NPT "t" fitting. The "t" is on it's side so the new sensor is straight up over the original hole, and the old switch is at right angles. I didn't have to extend it up to the engine compartment with a hose or anything at all -- just "hard piped".

Looks kind of like this:

[S]
|
}--[X]
|
[BLOCK]

The [S] is the new sender on the tup part of the "t", The } is the "t", the [X] is the original switch in the side of the "t", and then the pipe goes down from the "t" into a nearly vertical hole in the block.

Actually, the original switch is not installed. I did NOT have enough sense to bring an adaptor to go the other way so I can screw the 1/4" NPT switch into the 1/8" NPT t-fitting. Oh well. I have a plug in that hole which I will remove when I pick up an adaptor.

It's working good. At hot idle I have about 15 PSI of oil pressure, and it rises to 50 at the 3000 RPM rev limiter in park. Haven't had it out on the highway yet, so I don't know if it goes any higher or not.

 

Think its time for a underside car wash ?

 

Sweet, Sweet John!!! I would love to do that but I do know what the other gauge could be used for. Oil pressure and .......... don't need tranny temp like you auto guys do.

Nice work John.

 

Hey, Adrian, Charles sells single gauge pods as well, in case that second gauge becomes a deal breaker. For the Ranger, there are 1 and 2 gauge pods (no 3 gauge like in trucks with bigger a-pillars, lol).

Thanks for all the comments. I'll get some pics today. I found the adaptor I need here at work so I can reinstall the switch and get rid of the "Check Gage" light.

 

Couple of pics and some explanation which will eventually find it's way into the how-to. Just putting it out there for those of you who want to get a "jump" on things.

Pic 1: Looking from the passengers side wheelwell with the lower mud cover off. This is the back of the engine, immediately aft of the exhaust ports.

The gold cylinder with the yellow label on the left is the new oil pressure sender. Below it is the "t" fitting and behind the connector in the foreground is the pipe which goes down into the adaptor in the block. I'll take a better picture with the connector moved.

In the side of the "t" is the 1/8" NPT plug filling the hole for the switch. I have the required adaptor to mount the switch and will do it tonight.

By the way: "NPT" refers to "national pipe thread". This is a standard which has various standard thread sizes for different capacity pipes. NPT differes from normal threads in that it is tapered. As you tighten it, resistance increases before you "bottom" out. This helps the threads seal without flanges or other fitting transitions. Both the pipe, and the hole are tapered.

One generally wraps the threads with Teflon tape to ensure a tight seal (and also helps with disassembly later). The teflon is very thin, and even when wrapped with several layers, it displaces and allows metal-to-metal contact so that you can use the engine ground as the "return line" on the "one wire" switches and sensors.

1/8" NPT refers to the thread side used for pipe which has a hole in it approximately 1/8" in diameter. The pipe is much larger outside, and so are the threads. NPT is the most common thread to find on pipe.

Pic 2: Showing the two adaptors. To the left, the one which has a 1/4" NPT male to go into the block, and 1/8" NPT female to receive the pipe from the '"t" connector. On the right is one with 1/8" male NPT to go in the side of the "T", and 1/4" NPT to receive the factory switch.

YES, THE AREA IS OILY! BUT -- it's not from a leak and no oil comes out when you remove the switch. Look at the base of the gold pressure sender and you'll see the teflon tape is pink. The transmission dipstick is directly above this point and I tried to top off the tranny with 1/2 pint without using a funnel. The rest is history.

 

Couple of more pictures for clarity.

Pic 1: Better view of the T with all the parts, including the switch. I used a different adaptor for the switch since it turns out the one I salvaged had some bad threads. I labeled everything so I won't say much more on that. I did have to extend the switch wire by splicing in a 4" piece because the harness wouldn't reach. DOH!

Pic 2: You can see where the sender ends up. To the top right is the coil pack, and ths spark plug in the foreground is the one on the passenger side back closest to the firewall.

 

I would love to get those, but I don't want to lose my oh-**** handle (my favorite upgrade to the 03 vs. my old 02.) I could probably use both, I just changed my oil after 5K miles and was able to fill only 3 qt. bottles with what came out. Oil Pressure and Tranny Temp would both be good to know.

 

Well, they make the single pods if you can decide which you need more.

By the way, 5R44E and 5R55E's run pretty hot -- about 195 F on a hot day with hill climbing. Full synthetic transmission fluid to my mind is a MUST. I use Amsoil (what else, lol) but there are several out there that have less degradation at high temp.

Under lesser load I'm running at the more nomal 175 to 180 F. It's interesting to watch it and with the sensor actually in the transmission it's a pretty good indication.

 

Okay, some interesting "specs".

Ford says this engine should have 40 to 60 psi at 2500 RPM. I have 45 to 50. Good.

"Old School Rule-of-Thumb" is: 10 psi for every 1000 RPM. Up over 5000 RPM I have nearly 70 PSI, so I'm pretty much there as well.

Of course, that's with new synthetic and a clean filter. I'll be interested to see what it does as the oil and filter ages. I do once a year oil changes with filter changes every 6000 miles. So we'll see what comes of this.

 

Definately!

The gauges look great.